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Tulips and asparagus do not make good bedfellows. The tulips use nutrients that otherwise would feed the asparagus. This adversely affects the asparagus plants' growth and production, though the reduction may be hard to see, says Bernard Zandstra, Ph.D., vegetable specialist at Michigan State University.
Also, asparagus roots do not like to be disturbed. This poses a problem for you, because squirrels and rodents love to dig up tulips. If the animals go after the tulips, they may also damage the asparagus roots, and that will definitely not enhance your crop. "I recommend against interplanting of any sort," says Dr. Zandstra. "Asparagus is very sensitive to competition, and yields and vigor will decrease from any interplanting."
So, take out the tulips as soon as they begin to show their foliage. Gently remove the bulbs with a hand fork. The goal of taking out the bulbs is to help the asparagus; don't damage its roots by jabbing them with garden tools.
